Multirecord sound-reproducing machine



Jan. 16, 1923.

1. w. A. BRACKEN.

MULTIRECORD SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINE.

4 SHEETSSHEET l- I FILED MAR. 18, 1921.

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Jan. 16, 1923. 1,442,640.

-w. A. BRACKEN. MULTIRECORD SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINE.

FILED MARJIB. 1921- 4 SHEETSSHEEI Z.

Jan. 16, 1923. 1,442,640. W. A. BRACKEN. MULTIRECORD souwo REPRODUCING MACHINE.

FILED MAR. 18. 1921. 4 SHEETS-SHEE] 3.

gnve'nfoz J an. 16, 1923.

W. A. BRACKEN.

MULTIRECORD SOUND REPRODUCING MACHINE.

FILED MAR. 18, 192]- 4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

- claims, and illustrated in the accompanying- Patented Jan. 16, 1923.

PATENT QFFHCCEO- WILLIAM A. BEACKEN, OF WOODWARD, OKLAHOMA.

MULTIRECORD SOUND-REPBODUCING MACHINE.

Application filed march 18, 1921. Serial No. 453,496.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. BRACKEN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Woodward, in the county of Woodward and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Multi upon the initial starting of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the class mentioned for sound reproducing machines, and one embodying a novel means for raising the reproducer arm to disengage the needle from the sound groove of one record at the conclusion of the playing thereof, moving the same into operative position for the playing of the next successive record, and repeating the operation from one record to another just as long as the motor has power to operate the mechanism. 1

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the certain novel and useful construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more f'ully described, set forth in the appended drawings, in which Figure l is a top planvi'ew, r

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, I Fig. 4.- is a detail, in edge elevation, of the sound arm actuating cam or disc,

Fig. 5 is a detail of the worm shaft associated with the 'reproducer arm for intermittently rotating the same,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of cam plate or disc for moving the reproducer arm from one record to another,

Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section of an upper portion of the cabinet, and showing one form of speed governor as associated with the turn table mechanism, and,

Fig. 9 is a similar view to that of Fig. 8

showing a modified form of speed governor.

Refernng to the drawings, wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several view thereof, the numerallOindicates a cabinet having a lower horizontal portion 11 and an upper horizontal portion 12 spaced apart to provide a closed compartment therebetween, and in which compartment is located an operating mechanism of the machine and its motor, the latter,designated at 13, may be of any of the usual forms of spring motors, or the same may he ofthe electrical type as shown. The upper partition 12 is preferably spaced inward from the upper end of the cabinet whereby the highest point of the sound reproducing arm 14 is disposed substantially in the plane of the top edges of the latter, which arm 14 is swiveled, as at 15, centrallyof the partition 12 and extends outwardly therefrom in a plane substantially parallel to the upper face of the same.

Equidistantly spaced on the upper face of the partition 12, one from another and from the center of the same, are four vertically disposed journal pins or spindles 16, on each of-which is mounted a turn-table 17 for the reception of disc records of the form as shown at 18 in Fig. 1. The peripheral edges of the turn-tables 17 are formed with annular grooves 19 and connecting all of the same for the simultaneous rotation thereof is a flexible cable or belt 20, which belt is trained outwardly around the turn-tables 17 in a manner to engage the opposite and out ward portions of-the annular grooves 19 at points opposed to the corners of the cabinet 10.

mounted on the endofa vertically disposed shaft 22 projecting through the partition 12,

which shaft 22 is journaled at its lower end in a bearing 23 secured onthe upper face of the partition 11, and which, in turn, is driven from the motor 13 through the medium of a belt 24 extending between a pulley 25, secured-on the shaft 22 and a pulley 26 secured on the motor'shaft for such purpose.

The sound producing arm 14c is swivelly mounted, as before stated, as at 15, to the upper end of a vertically disposed sound conveying tube 27 which extends to points above the partition 12 and below the partition 11 and has its lower end connecting an amplifying horn or chamber 28 which ex tends transversely outward from the center of the cabinet 10 and opens through one of the side walls thereof.

The tube 27 is rotatably journaled in its vertical position, by means of a bearing 29 secured on the upper face of the partition 12, for the purpose of movin the reproducer arm '14 from the conclu ing playing position on one record to the starting position of the next succeeding record, and the desired movement of the latter is made possible by means of a cam disc or plate 30, which is circular in form, and is provided with a number of equidistantly spaced cam members 31 on its upper face and immediately adjacent the peripheral edge thereof. The opposite ends of each of the cam members 31 is inclined downwardly into the face ofthe disc or plate 30, and the reproducing arm 14 normally extends across the space between each pair of members 31 when its stylus is engaged in the sound groove of the record being played,'but at the conclusion of the playing of the record, the arm moves into contact with the adjacent inclined end face of the succeeding cam member 31 and rides up the same and onto the flat upper face thereof. The cam disc or plate 30 is secured to brackets 32 extending inwardly of the spaces between the turntables 17 and which are, in turn, secured on the upper face of the partition 12, the cam members 31 being so disposed in proper relation with respect to the records on the turn-tables 17 that one inclined end of each is disposed so as to deliver the arm 14 to the record face so that the stylus carried thereby enters the sound groove in the latter immediatelyv adjacent the periphery, or

at its proper starting point-thereon, while the.outer or opposite inclined end face is disposed to be contacted by the arm 14 immediately before the stylus reaches the end of the sound groove in which it is engaged.

For moving the reproducer arm 14 from one disc record to another, the tube 27 is rotated the required distance for such purpose through the medium of a mutilated gear 33 secured thereon which is arranged in mesh with a worm gear 34 carried on a shaft 35 journaled in brackets 36 depending from the underside of the upper partition 12. Mounted on the Shaft 35 is a worm wheel 37 whichis arranged in mesh with a worm gear 38 mounted vertically on a vertically disposed shaft 39 which has its opposite ends journaled in bearings 40 secured on the opposite inner faces of the partitions 11 and 12. Secured to the shaft 39 a belt 42 from a pulley 43 carried on a second vertically dis posed shaft 44, the latter having its lower end journaled in a bearing 45 on the upper worm gear 34 during the continued rotation of the turn-tables, when the arm 14 will ride up the adjacent inclined face of a cam member 31 to clear its stylus of the groove of the record just played, move along the upper face of the member, and downward of the opposite inclined face thereof, so that its stylus is engaged in starting position on. the next succeeding rec 0rd, which operation is repeated throughout the continued application of power to the turn-tables from the. motor 13, not only for the successive playing of each record of the set of such records, but for their continued repetition, as may be desired.

In Figs. 6 and 7, there is shown a modified form of the device for moving the reproducer arm 14 from one recordto another, and this particular construction of the same is designed to facilitate the delivery of the stylus of the arm to the sound grooves of the several records more gradually and gently than obtained in the use of the cam plate 30 as in the first instance. In this form of device, the cam plate or disc 30 is provided with the cam surfaces 31" and issupported in position by the brackets 32. At the delivery end of each of the cam members or surfaces 31", substantially rectangular plates 60 are pivotally supported, as at 61, to the outer periphery of the plate or disc 30, and these plates 60 are curved to conform to the curvature of the latter 95 and'have their upper edges disposed flush in the plane of the top edges of the cam members or surfaces 31', each with one angular corner portion extending beyond the adjacent inclined faces of the latter. Piv- 10o otally connecting the opposite lower angular corner portions of the plates 60, as at 62, are rods 63 depending from the pivots 62 for sliding engagement in bores formed in the outer free ends of bracket arms 64 105 projecting horizontally from the supporting brackets 32' of the cam plate or disc 30. The rods 63 are .each provided with collars 65 at points intermediate their lengths whereby to limit the downward 0 movement thereof and normally hold the top edges of the plates 60 flushwith the ried on the lower free ends of the rods 63.

In the operation of a machine with this form of reproducer arm moving device applied thereto, at the conclusion of the playing of one of the sound records, the reproducer arm 14 is moved at the proper inclined cam surface 31' and along the top .surface of the corresponding cam member I 31" and at the opposite end of the latter passes therefrom onto the edge of the outer upper corner of the plate 60 associated withthe active cam member. The weight of the reproducer arm now tilts the active plate 60 against the tension of its coil spring 66, and the reproducer arm is lowered gradually and gently so as to have its stylus placed in the sound groove of the record to be played. Just as soon as the arm 14 leaves the tilted plate, the latter is returned to normal position by the expanding of the spring associated therewith, the same exerting a downward pull on the rod thereof for such purpose. The foregoing cycle of operation is repeated throughout the successiveplaying of the several records and for the repeated playing of the same, if desired.

V'Vhen an electric motor 13 is used in lieu of any other form of motor, the same is to be connected to a lamp socket or the like by means of leads 46 carrying a plug connector 47 at their free ends. For controlling the starting and stopping of the electric motor 13, a suitable switching de-, vice 48 preferably in the form of a button switch is mounted in the upper face of the partition 12, at the forward part of the cabinet and is suitably connected-in circuit with the motor and the leads 46 for the purpose.

For controlling the speed of the motor 13 and consequently of the'turn table 17, the invention contemplates the provision of a governor mechanism, and the same consists. of a shaft 49 vertically journaled in the partitions 11 and 12 with its upper end projecting above the latter partition and supporting thereon a pulley 50 in operative engagement with the belt 20. Mountedon the shaft 49 immediately below the partition 12 is a governor 51, of any suitable or desired form, which has its lower portion 52 slidable on the shaft 49 under the, action of the outward and inward movement of the pivoted arms thereof, and extending radially of this portion 52 is a contact arm 53 which has connected thereto one terminal of the motorcurrent supply circuit. The free end of the arm 53 is movable vertically along the face of ,arheostat 54 which is supported in position in any desired manner or directly upon the lower partition 11. The arm 53 normally contacts the lowest facial-contact of the rheostat, so that, when the switch 48 is closed for the starting up of the motor 13, current will flow through the motorcircuit from this particular contact, and up to a normal or predetermined speed the arm 53 will maintain in contact therewith. How'- ever, upon a speeding up of the motor 13, as by being connected in on a circuit havingexcessive voltage, the corresponding increased speed of, the shaft 49 will cause a greater throw on the governor arm so that the portion 52 thereof, will move upwardly of the shaft 49 and correspondingly move the arm 53 from the lowest rheostat contact onto the next highest contact thereof, which is interconnected with the lower contact by means of a resistance as in the usual manner of rheostat constructions. If for any reason the speed of the turn-table increases maybe resorted to, and the contact arm 53 and the rheostat 54, with its circuit connections, dispensed with. In this modified construction, the lower portion 52 of the governor 51, carried on the shaft 49, as in Fig. -9, is provided with a frictional disc or plate 55 which is moved into and out of contacting engagement with a brake shoe 56 carried on the inwardly projecting end of an adjusting screw 57 which is threaded through a sleeve 58 dependingly supported in the partitioned wall 12 of the cabinet, the upper projected end of the adjusting screw 57 being provided with a knurled head portion 59 by means ofwhich the same may be manipulated. In the operation of this device, upon the closing of the circuit from the switch 48, the motor 13 will speed up and the governor arms will swing outwardly of the shaft 49 raising the frictional disc 55 until it contacts the shoe 56, and the speed tatino said turn-tables, a cam-plate associate with said reproducer arm for raising the same and the stylus carried thereby out of playing engagement with the records carried on the said turn-tables, and means operable from one of said turn-tables for shifting said reproducer arm successively along the cam surfaces of said cam-plate from one record turn-table to another throughout the continued operation of the power means.

2. In. a sound reproducing machine, a single reproducer arm, a plurality of record turn-tables each independently mounted for rotation and having their peripheral edges formed to provide annular grooves, an endless belt trained around said turn-tables and engaging the annular grooves thereof for their slmultaneous rotation, an electric motor for driving said endless belt, automatic means for shifting said reproducer arm successively from the concluded playinv positions of the records on said turn-' tables to the starting positions thereon and continuously for repeated playing of the records throughout the operation of said rotating means, and means cooperative with i said endless belt for regulating the speed of said electric motor.

3. In a sound reproducing machine, a single reproducer arm, a plurality of record turn-tables each independently mounted for rotation and having their peripheral edges formed to provide annular grooves, an endless belt trained around said turn-tables and to the starting positions thereon and continuously for repeated playing of the records throughout the operation of said electric motor, a rheostat in circuit with said electric motor, and a governor driven from I said endless belt for regulating said rheostat for the controlling of the speed of said electric motor.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature hereto.

WILLIAM A. BRACKEN. 

